Defence / Veteran fighter pilot Ashutosh Dixit takes over as 29th IAF chief

New Delhi, Oct 31: Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit on Saturday took charge as the 29th Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF), succeeding Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh, who retired after over four decades of distinguished service.

 A highly experienced fighter pilot and test aviator, Air Chief Marshal Dixit brings with him nearly 40 years of operational, strategic and leadership experience in the IAF.

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit was commissioned into the Fighter Stream of the Indian Air Force on December 6, 1986.

Over a career spanning four decades, the Air Chief has rich experience across diverse domains such as Operations, Flight Testing, Capability Development and Joint Staff assignments.

"An accomplished Fighter Pilot, Qualified Flying Instructor and Experimental Test Pilot, he has over 3,300 hours of flying experience on a wide range of aircraft, including the Mirage-2000, various MiG variants, Jaguar and several transport aircraft," the Indian Air Force (IAF) said in a statement.

The IAF said that Air Chief Marshal Dixit is widely recognised for his contribution to the modernisation of the Indian Air Force and was instrumental in finalising the Jaguar and MiG-27 upgrade projects and in the completion of the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) and Final Operational Clearance (FOC) activities of the LCA Mk-I Tejas.

Operational Leadership

"His operational command assignments include command of a Mirage-2000 Squadron, a Forward Base Support Unit in the Western Sector and Air Force Station Bidar, a premier fighter training base of the IAF," the force said.

He has served as Air Defence Commander at Southern Air Command, Senior Air Staff Officer at South Western Air Command and Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, steering key capability development and procurement initiatives.
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Distinguished Career

He subsequently commanded Central Air Command as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief and later served as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee during Operation Sindoor. Prior to assuming charge as Chief of the Air Staff, he served as the Vice-Chief of the Air Staff.

"Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit is an accomplished graduate of the Defence Services Command and Staff College, Bangladesh, and the National Defence College, New Delhi. He is a recipient of the Vayu Sena Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Param Vishisht Seva Medal in recognition of his distinguished service to the nation," the IAF said.
(With inputs from IANS)